Well bridge



Dec. 4, 1 951 E. A. DE UPREE WELL BRIDGE Filed Aug. 51, 1949 Edwin H. Deupree INVENTOR Patented Dec. 4, 1951 UNITED S TATES PATENT OFF ICE IWELL BRIDGE Edwin A. Deupree, Oklahoma City, :Okla. Application August '31, 1949,-Se1"ia'l No. 113,280

The present invention relates to the art of plugging bored :wells, and .more particularly to a mechanical plug which maybe lodged 'in .a well to form a seat upon which an earth plug may be supported.

7 In my co-pending patent application, Serial No.]89,497, filed April 25, 1949, a tool is disclosed for setting *well bridges, and the application also discloses butdoes not-claim abridge for use with the settingtool.

The present applicaiion relates particularly to well bridges of a type which may be set by the above mentioned setting tool.

The prime object of the invention is to provide a collapsible well bridge which, when released, will automatically lodge in a bore hole to resist movement therein.

A further object is to provide a well bridge which is simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, and positive in action.

Another object is to provide a bridge which may be compactly packaged.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of the bridge in its expanded condition;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken through a well or bore hole, and shovsfing the bridge in collapsed condition as it is being lowered by a setting tool into the hole, the setting tool being shown in dotted lines; and

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the bridge being pushed out of the setting tool so that its lower prongs engage the well wall.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral I indicates a section of earth through which a bore hole or well 2 has been drilled, the wall of the hole being indicated by the reference numeral 3.

The reference numeral 4 indicates the lower tubate end portion or hell of a setting tool, said portion having a fully open lower end. The setting tool portion 4 has an upwardly extending hollow neck 5 in which a thrust-shaft or tube 5 is slidably mounted. The shaft 6 has an enlarged head 1 at its lower end.

The bridge of the present invention is adapted to be placed in the setting tool bell 4, and to be carried by the tool downwardly into the bore hole, as is more fully described hereinbelow.

3 Claims. (Cl. 166- 13) The 'bridge of the present invention is "best illustrated in Fig. 1, and is indicated as a whole by the reference numeral lb. 'The bridge l'fl includes a preferably'cylindrical body 'H which may be formed -'of any suitable cementitious or plastic material capable of hardening when left to set.

Extending through the body Ill from top to bottom, area plurality of elongated spring elements orarms l-Z, all of which cross each other within the body it, and all of which are held at their central portions against movement with relation to the body. In the embodiment illustrated herein, the device is formed by first retaining the elements or prongs l2 in their centrally crossed positions, and then pouring the body therearound. It is pointed out, however, that the prongs or tines 12 could well be otherwise positioned in or on the body l0, so that they flared outwardly from both its upper and lower ends.

The upper ends of the prongs l2 are each provided with a loop or eye I 3 within which are caught the upper annular rim M of a conical sack or container l5. The container or retainer I5 is preferably made of canvas or some such flexible or collapsible material.

In operation, the upper prongs l2 and the sack l5 are brought together or collapsed, and are inserted upwardly into the bell 4 of the setting tool. The device is then pushed upwardly until the lower prongs are entirely within the bell, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The setting tool, with the bridge thus retained, is then lowered into the bore hole a desired distance, after which the thrust-shaft 6 is pushed downwardly to expel the lower tines of the bridge from the open lower end of the bell.

When the lower prongs leave the lower end of the bell, they automatically spring outwardly into frictional engagement with the well wall 3. Downward pressure of the thrust-shaft 6 acts to positively embed the lower ends of the prongs in the well wall, as shown in Fig. 3. When this has been accomplished, the thrust-shaft 5 is held stationary, and the hell 4 is raised oil the bridge so that its upper tines may spring outwardly into contact with the well wall. The embedded tines positively hold the device against downward movement, so that dirt etc. may be piled upon the sack IE to fill the well thereabove. As the well is being filled, the dirt, rocks, etc. are tamped solidly in place so as to form a solid and compact well plug above the bridge.

In packaging the devices for shipment, their 3 tines are sprung together or collapsed, and they are confined within pasteboard tubes, not shown.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to some change or alteration without defeating its practicability, and I therefore do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein, further than I am limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A well bridge including: a central body; a plurality of straight elongated spring arms longer than the body and passing therethrough from top to bottom thereof, said arms rigidly anchored to the body in inclined relation to the vertical axis thereof at an acute angle, and crossing each other within the body, said arms projecting beyond the body in upward and downward directions, and extending laterally outward beyond the periphery of the body, whereby the lower projecting portions may engage a well wall for preventing downward movement of the body therein; and a collapsible open topped container supported by the upwardly and outwardly projecting portions of said arms.

2. A well bridge including: a rigid central body; straight spaced downwardly and outwardly slanting spring arms rigidly embedded in the body and extending laterally beyond the periphery thereof, for contacting a well wall and anchoring the body against downward movement therein; straight upwardly and outwardly slanting radially spaced spring arms rigidly embedded in the body and projecting laterally beyond the periphery thereof; and an open topped fabric bag supported above the body by the latter spring arms.

3. A well bridge including: a plurality of straight rods of spring metal, said rods crossing each other centrally at similar obtuse angles so that their upperand lower portions respectively flare upwardly and downwardly; a solid body of cementitious material rigidly embracing the central portions of said rods and anchoring them in said relative positions, said body being smaller in outside dimension than the space defined by the ends of the rods; and an open topped fabric sack nested in the flared upper portions of said rods above the body.

EDWIN A. DEUPREE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,497,629 Baker June 10, 1924 1,835,377 Clark et al. Dec. 8, 1931 2,100,684 Carroll Nov. 30, 1937 2,253,224 Bleakley Aug. 19, 1941 

